Read Online A Question of Inheritance by Elizabeth Edmondson - Free Book Online
Authors: Elizabeth Edmondson
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lifted the dust cover.
‘A piano,’ Gus said, going over to join him.
‘No,’ Hugo said. ‘It’s a harpsichord.’ His fingers strayed to the keys and he played a chord. The plangent sound rang through the room. ‘Out of tune. They need tuning all the time.’ He lifted the lid and peered inside. ‘It looks as though it’s in good condition, though. It’s a Kirkman.’
Freya had never seen that look on Hugo’s face. His habitual wry, alert, amused look had gone, replaced by the haunted expression of a man looking into some distant place. Into the past, Freya guessed.
‘You know about harpsichords?’ Gus said.
‘I used to play,’ Hugo said. He lowered the lid and flung the cover back in place.
Georgia was regarding him with disapproval. ‘You never told me that.’
‘I haven’t touched a keyboard for years. Shall we move on, Freya?’
It was as though he’d put up a big ‘Keep Off ’ sign, and even Georgia didn’t ask any more questions. On the other side of the door, Freya paused and worked the key off the ring. As the others moved on, she handed it to Hugo. ‘Gus won’t mind if you come back in here. While we’re still at the Castle.’
Scene 6
They piled on coats and scarves to go outside. Babs had retreated into her rather morose self, while Polly clung to her father’s arm. They walked through the stable yard, where Last Hurrah looked inquisitively out from his half-door.
Polly said, ‘Whose horse is that?’
Freya said, ‘He’s mine.’ She turned to Gus. ‘I hope you won’t mind if I stable him here until I make other arrangements.’
Ben, who had come to the castle first as groom and then chauffeur and stayed on as general factotum during the years when Lord Selchester was missing, touched his forehead as Freya introduced him. ‘Ben, this is the new Lord Selchester. Ben’s been here for ever, Gus. He knows the Castle inside out.’
Ben said, ‘That horse won’t like going from here, Miss Freya.’
Freya said, ‘I dare say he won’t, Ben, but he’ll get used to it.’ She said to Gus, ‘Ben’s the one who’ll miss Last Hurrah. Your father and Hermione both hunted and so back in the days when Ben first came here, there was a full stable. Now I’ll just want to show you the hothouse, and then we’ll go back indoors.’
Babs said, ‘Hothouse?’
‘It’s a big glasshouse, for plants. It’s more than a hundred years old. It was built by Paxton, who did the ones at Kew Gardens.’
‘Can I skip the plants?’ Babs said. ‘I think I’d rather head back inside and burn my feet against a fire.’
‘If it’s a hothouse, it’ll be warm,’ Polly said.
‘Says you. I expect it was hot for a week or so in the last century and they haven’t turned the heating on since then.’ She gave the exquisite iron-framed building a contemptuous look, shivered ostentatiously as she tightened her coat around her and slouched off.
Gus was full of admiration and he stood, impervious to the cold, staring up at the arched roof. ‘It seems in remarkably good condition. Given what you’ve all been through in this country.’
‘My uncle was proud of it and of its history. Various Selchester horticulturalists and their gardeners have grown rare specimens here,’ Freya said, opening the door and letting out a welcome gust of warm air. ‘No one was allowed in here during the war; my uncle insisted it wasn’t to be used when the Castle was requisitioned. As soon as he got possession again, he made sure the structure and the glass was in good repair.’ She looked around. ‘It’s a bit forlorn now. I remember when I was a child, Aunt Hermione grew all kinds of wonderful exotic fruits. And flowers for the house, all year round. It was a subtropical paradise in here. We children loved it. But now it’s mostly used to house tender plants through the winter.’
Gus said, with real enthusiasm, ‘I see no reason why we shouldn’t grow more in here. How is it heated? Is it all
‘A piano,’ Gus said, going over to join him.
‘No,’ Hugo said. ‘It’s a harpsichord.’ His fingers strayed to the keys and he played a chord. The plangent sound rang through the room. ‘Out of tune. They need tuning all the time.’ He lifted the lid and peered inside. ‘It looks as though it’s in good condition, though. It’s a Kirkman.’
Freya had never seen that look on Hugo’s face. His habitual wry, alert, amused look had gone, replaced by the haunted expression of a man looking into some distant place. Into the past, Freya guessed.
‘You know about harpsichords?’ Gus said.
‘I used to play,’ Hugo said. He lowered the lid and flung the cover back in place.
Georgia was regarding him with disapproval. ‘You never told me that.’
‘I haven’t touched a keyboard for years. Shall we move on, Freya?’
It was as though he’d put up a big ‘Keep Off ’ sign, and even Georgia didn’t ask any more questions. On the other side of the door, Freya paused and worked the key off the ring. As the others moved on, she handed it to Hugo. ‘Gus won’t mind if you come back in here. While we’re still at the Castle.’
Scene 6
They piled on coats and scarves to go outside. Babs had retreated into her rather morose self, while Polly clung to her father’s arm. They walked through the stable yard, where Last Hurrah looked inquisitively out from his half-door.
Polly said, ‘Whose horse is that?’
Freya said, ‘He’s mine.’ She turned to Gus. ‘I hope you won’t mind if I stable him here until I make other arrangements.’
Ben, who had come to the castle first as groom and then chauffeur and stayed on as general factotum during the years when Lord Selchester was missing, touched his forehead as Freya introduced him. ‘Ben, this is the new Lord Selchester. Ben’s been here for ever, Gus. He knows the Castle inside out.’
Ben said, ‘That horse won’t like going from here, Miss Freya.’
Freya said, ‘I dare say he won’t, Ben, but he’ll get used to it.’ She said to Gus, ‘Ben’s the one who’ll miss Last Hurrah. Your father and Hermione both hunted and so back in the days when Ben first came here, there was a full stable. Now I’ll just want to show you the hothouse, and then we’ll go back indoors.’
Babs said, ‘Hothouse?’
‘It’s a big glasshouse, for plants. It’s more than a hundred years old. It was built by Paxton, who did the ones at Kew Gardens.’
‘Can I skip the plants?’ Babs said. ‘I think I’d rather head back inside and burn my feet against a fire.’
‘If it’s a hothouse, it’ll be warm,’ Polly said.
‘Says you. I expect it was hot for a week or so in the last century and they haven’t turned the heating on since then.’ She gave the exquisite iron-framed building a contemptuous look, shivered ostentatiously as she tightened her coat around her and slouched off.
Gus was full of admiration and he stood, impervious to the cold, staring up at the arched roof. ‘It seems in remarkably good condition. Given what you’ve all been through in this country.’
‘My uncle was proud of it and of its history. Various Selchester horticulturalists and their gardeners have grown rare specimens here,’ Freya said, opening the door and letting out a welcome gust of warm air. ‘No one was allowed in here during the war; my uncle insisted it wasn’t to be used when the Castle was requisitioned. As soon as he got possession again, he made sure the structure and the glass was in good repair.’ She looked around. ‘It’s a bit forlorn now. I remember when I was a child, Aunt Hermione grew all kinds of wonderful exotic fruits. And flowers for the house, all year round. It was a subtropical paradise in here. We children loved it. But now it’s mostly used to house tender plants through the winter.’
Gus said, with real enthusiasm, ‘I see no reason why we shouldn’t grow more in here. How is it heated? Is it all
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